What is going to happen in Washington and Colorado with the legalization of marijuana?

[skinsmarydu]

^^So the dealership just has an assortment of guns for you to pick from when you buy a car from them??

See "Bowling for Columbine"...you could get one for opening a bank account.

[Skinz4Life12]

See "Bowling for Columbine"...you could get one for opening a bank account.

 

'Merica

[skinsmarydu]

'Merica

you betcha,

[Ludomaniac]

I wish it was legal over here in VA.  I dont smoke it anymore, but not because health issues, but simply because i want to keep my job and dont want to get arrested.

 

I like where this country is headed though in terms of marijuana, i think people are finally realizing that its not dangerous and as adults we should be allowed to smoke it if we want to, let us make the decision not the government

[twa]

'Merica

 

better than Mehico, where most guns are illegal.....of course that didn't stop the 80,000 drug-related killings

[mcsluggo]

Wow.. you are right.  You have boiled down the difference between the USA and Mexico in one feature the legality of guns.  congratulations.     

 

you should do a correlation analysis, and get it publsihed in one of Heritage's journals.   You are set.

 

 

y variable:  number of murders percapita

x variable: binary (0 or 1) based on whther TWA defines "guns as legal"

 

data set:  USA and Mexico

 

results:  pure gold!

[Hubbs]

Wow.. you are right.  You have boiled down the difference between the USA and Mexico in one feature the legality of guns.  congratulations.     

 

you should do a correlation analysis, and get it publsihed in one of Heritage's journals.   You are set.

 

 

y variable:  number of murders percapita

x variable: binary (0 or 1) based on whther TWA defines "guns as legal"

 

data set:  USA and Mexico

 

results:  pure gold!

 

Actually, if you take out the TWA factor, somebody did such a study. The "somebody" being those gun-toting rednecks at Harvard:

 

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/08/30/harvard-gun-study-no-decrease-in-violence-with-ban/

 

“There is a compound assertion that guns are uniquely available in the

United States compared with other modern developed nations, which is why

the United States has by far the highest murder rate. Though these

assertions have been endlessly repeated, [the latter] is, in fact, false

and [the former] is substantially so,” the authors point out, based on

their research.

[Hersh]

This is a thread about smoking marijuana and not about guns. It should be more laid back and chill.

[Larry]

This is a thread about smoking marijuana and not about guns. It should be more laid back and chill.

And there should be munchies.

[Hersh]

And there should be munchies.

 

Now that's a good topic for this thread.

[mcsluggo]

Actually, if you take out the TWA factor, somebody did such a study. The "somebody" being those gun-toting rednecks at Harvard:

 

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/08/30/harvard-gun-study-no-decrease-in-violence-with-ban/

 

I just scanned the referenced article... if i could be permitted to paraphase, it says

 

• most OTHER recent studys of gun violence in developed countries show that the USA has far more guns, and has far more gun violence than other developed countries (although this paper was not particularly recent, so the other studues were not recent either)
•  
• these other studies are too narrow in their analysis.
•  
• if you expand "developed countries" to include the whole OECD (which adds countries like mexico and brazil) and the former soviet block countries, all of which have very strict (and ineffectual) gun control laws on the books, the correlation that other papers have found (that more gun control is correlated with lower violence) breaks down.
•  
• Furthermore, once you include all of these other "developed countries", the USA still has the highest gun-homicide rates, but Russia, Brazil, Estonia and a few other "developed countries" have higher overall rates of crime (in some cases homicide, in some cases other measures of violent crime) than the USA

interesting.

[twa]

those other countries have different methodology as well....hard to tabulate the mass graves except when ya stumble over them

 

 

quit Bogarting 

[mcsluggo]

for the sake of board peace and unity, i am willing to concede the stipulation, that Russia Mexico Brazil and Estonia are less safe places than the USA.  

[BigFing]

Can anyone go to Colorado purchase and partake or do you have to be a CO resident?

[China]

Kind Cop Assists Stoners with the Lighting of a Two-Pound Joint

 

What a difference a year makes: In less than 12 months since voters in Washington legalized marijuana, local police officers have gone from putting stoners behind bars to helping stoners light a two-pound joint at last weekend's NW Harvest Fest 2013.

 

Marijuana.com reports that the massive, hash-oil laced spliff took an entire day to roll and was "smoked to completion" thanks to the assistance a "kind, herb-loving Makisupa policeman."

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Chew]

Can anyone go to Colorado purchase and partake or do you have to be a CO resident?

nope, don't have to be a CO resident to fire up.  as long as you're here, its legal.

 

Denver is looking to cash in huge with the tourists coming here to schmoke

[twa]

High Crimes: Robber Gangs Terrorize Colorado Pot Shops

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/legal-pot/high-crimes-robber-gangs-terrorize-colorado-pot-shops-n20111

 

One thief, posing as a delivery man, pulled a can of bear mace on employees and ransacked their marijuana shop, fleeing in a defensive cloud of “ultra-pepper” spray. Another opened the wall of a dispensary with an ax and attacked the store’s safe with a circular saw. Still another stuck to the basics. He kicked in the front door and pointed his gun at the counterman. An accomplice kicked in the back door and filled a duffel bag with more than $10,000 worth of high-quality cannabis.

For weeks now, the Mile High state has allowed the sale of recreational pot to adults, and so far the Rockies still stand. But crimes like the ones above, all of which occurred in Colorado in the last six months, have produced an acid-drip of anxiety in the industry, highlighting the dangers faced by those hoping to drag America’s most popular illegal drug into the light. Because marijuana remains banned by Congress, banks and security firms deny services to most dispensaries. That leaves them cash-based and vulnerable, a magnet for criminals who like the idea of unguarded counting rooms and shelves lined with lucrative horticulture.

 

..

At Medicine Man, where Daniels has provided security since January 1st, there are now six cash registers and an armed guard for each one, plus another at the door. At the end of the day, after spraying the cash with Febreze to mask the scent, employees stuff it into tamper-resistant clear plastic bags, which Blue Line escorts downtown and into the company’s vault.

If they face a robbery, they may call 911, but they’re authorized to return fire. Every day now at New Age Wellness, in Boulder County, steps from the counter where the peace buds are sold, a warning sign is emblazoned with the words, “DEADLY FORCE.” In front of the sign is a Blue Line guard, Glock on his hip.

“One of my guys, I think, can probably easily hold off five to 10 guys by himself,” says Daniels, who appreciates the irony of blending what is essentially police work with the protection of a product that he used to bust people for 

[PeterMP]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/10/opinion/sabet-colorado-marijuana/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

 

"Special-interest "Big Tobacco"-like groups and businesses have ensured that marijuana is widely promoted, advertised and commercialized in Colorado. As a result, calls to poison centers have skyrocketed, incidents involving kids going to school with marijuana candy and vaporizers seem more common, and explosions involving butane hash oil extraction have risen. Employers are reporting more workplace incidents involving marijuana use, and deaths have been attributed to ingesting marijuana cookies and food items."

 

"Marijuana companies, like their predecessors in the tobacco industry, are determined to keep lining their pockets. Not that high Indeed, legalization has come down to one thing: money. And it's not money for the government -- Colorado has only raised a third of the amount of tax revenue they have projected -- it's money for this new industry and its shareholders."

 

"As Al Bronstein, medical director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center recently said, "We're seeing hallucinations, they become sick to their stomachs, they throw up, they become dizzy and very anxious." Bronstein reported that in 2013, there were 126 calls concerning adverse reactions to marijuana. From January to April this year, the center receive 65 calls.And, since Colorado expanded marijuana stores for medical users, peer-reviewed research has found a major upsurge in stoned driving-related deaths (that is not surprising since marijuana intoxication doubles the risk of a car crash)."

 

I've said it before here, I think de-criminalization in most instances of drug use/small possession for most drugs makes a lot of sense.  Commercialization doesn't.

 

I think in a pretty short period of time most (objective) people are going to easily see the distinction between what Portugal did and what has been done in places like Colorado.

 

And note the missed estimates of money made by CO don't include loses to the state due to the health/safety related issues.

 

So CO in reality is even making LESS money.

[Springfield]

I will note that the above article is an op-ed piece.

I will also note that I generally agree with Peter in regards to decriminalization over commercialization.

[twa]

Well Cali(Berkely of course) has a free pot to the poor program....life is good

[s0crates]

Well Cali(Berkely of course) has a free pot to the poor program....life is good

That's democracy in action baby.

This is a non-issue. I'm surprised there is so much money in it if it's legal. The stuff is not hard to grow.

[visionary]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/38-million-1st-month-washington-pot-sales

WASHINGTON POT SALES REACH $3.8M IN 1ST MONTH

 

During the first month of legal marijuana sales in Washington state, stores sold just under $3.8 million, which is expected to bring in more than $1 million in state taxes, the state reported on Friday.

 

Although licenses have been issued for about 40 stores, only 18 were selling pot in July, and 16 of them have reported sales so far in August.

 

"It's off to a healthy start, considering that the system isn't fully up and running yet," said Brian Smith, a spokesman for the Washington Liquor Control Board.

 

During the first month of retail marijuana sales in Colorado, the state collected closer to $2 million in excise and sales taxes.

 

Like Colorado, Washington will tax marijuana in two ways: sales taxes and excise taxes.

 

Excise taxes are paid at three different points in the process: When the grower transfers the marijuana to the processor, when the processor transfers it to the store and when the retailer sells it to the consumer. The tax rate at all three points is 25 percent.

[visionary]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ec56477b61284fc6b77073268da49aa9/apnewsbreak-colorado-seeks-ban-most-edible-pot

APNewsBreak: Colorado seeks ban on most edible pot

 

Colorado health officials want to ban many edible forms of marijuana, including brownies, cookies and most candies, limiting legal sales of pot-infused food to lozenges and some liquids.

 

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment told marijuana regulators that many forms of edible marijuana "are naturally attractive to children" and violate the law's "requirement to prevent the marketing of marijuana products to children."

 

The recommendation was obtained by The Associated Press in advance of a third and possibly final workgroup meeting Monday to draw up rules for identifiable markers or colors for edible marijuana products so they won't be confused with regular foods.

 

The health department's recommendation, sent to the regulators Oct. 14, would effectively take most forms of edible marijuana off store shelves. The final decision will be made by the Department of Revenue's Marijuana Enforcement Division, which oversees retail marijuana sales.

 

Lawmakers have ordered state pot regulators to require pot-infused food and drink to have a distinct look when they are out of the packaging. The order came after concerns about the proliferation of pot-infused treats that many worry could be accidentally eaten by children.

 

Statewide numbers are not available, but one hospital in the Denver area has reported nine cases of children being admitted after accidentally eating pot. It is not clear whether those kids ate commercially packaged pot products or homemade items such as marijuana brownies. The Health Department's recommendation would apply only to products sold commercially, including a form of liquid pot called a tincture that can be added to foods.

 

The Health Department's recommendation is one of several made to marijuana regulators. The advocacy group Smart Colorado wants to see a requirement that edible versions of marijuana be colored, marked or stamped to indicate they contain the drug.

 

The marijuana industry opposes a ban on most pot products. A spokesman for Dixie Elixirs, which makes marijuana-infused sodas and mints, said Monday that the rules go too far and may not be able to keep pot-infused foods out of children's hands.

 

"Labeling and packaging are the best and only way to deal with accidental ingestion," said Joe Hodas, Dixie's chief marketing officer. He said the rules would help drive the black market.

[SkinsFTW]

Yeah WTG Colorado going way overboard on it and trying to go from putting people in prison for carrying an oz to turning the state into Ganja Disneyland.

 

Why not just say you can smoke it and grow it and we wont bother anybody but no selling it commercially?

 

Oh yeah, because they are only doing it FOR THE MONEY from taxes.

[Bang]

Given the shortfall most states experience and the universal distaste people have for paying taxes and those who raise taxes.. i don't see the problem.

It only makes sense to limit faceless profit machines from selling it to kids in such forms, because given the opportunity, most will.

Same reason they don't allow alcohol containers to look like kids drinks, and they quickly pull from shelves alcoholic items that are pointed towards younger people.

 

Everything sold is sold for the money.

 

~Bang